Tag Archives: Record Reviews

New Reviews at Still Single, May 13th

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A new batch of reviews I’ve written for Doug Mosurock’s Still Single column have been added to the tumblr site. Apparently they just missed the cut for the latest Dusted column, presumably that means they’ll be present in the next one. Anyway, without further ado, check ’em out here:

The C&B, 1991 Pre-Shadow Ring Recordings 7″ (Siltbreeze)

It is almost completely impossible for me to articulate to the uninitiated my love the Shadow Ring, why they were one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen, and why they were so crucial to the dialogue of music in the ‘90s. Frankly, if I play Put the Music In Its Coffin or City Lights for anyone who hasn’t heard them before, and doesn’t know what they’re about, I’m usually challenged with the canard that what we’re listening to is “retarded.” Offensive language by philistines aside, the relative musical ineptitude with which the Shadow Ring confronted its listeners was kind of the point: decades past punk’s exhortation to do it yourself, the Shadow Ring were able to take absolutely stark musical elements (monotone vocals, poorly tuned guitar, abrasive percussion, absurd tape manipulations) and meld them into an expressive whole, far greater than the sum of its parts. Thankfully, many years past their demise as a group, Siltbreeze has released this single of early recordings by Shadow Ring founders Graham Lambkin and Darren Harris, under the name the C&B (short for the Cat & Bells Club). Stylistically, these recordings are just a small step removed from what would become the Shadow Ring’s sound, and indeed, I suspect the riff from “Kent Cluster” was recycled more than once afterwards, but for a fan that only adds to its charm. Edition of 300. (http://www.siltbreeze.com)

Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble, Three Christs of Ypsilanti LP (Siltbreeze)

Hot on the heels of the super-limited Butte County Free Music Society Induced Musical Spasticity 4xLP box set comes this related platter on Siltbreeze. Because of the notable guitar droning and occasional industrial noise present, fans of the ‘Breeze may liken some moments on Three Christs of Ypsilanti to Harsh 70s Reality in spots, though there’s hardly anything on it that approaches the Dead C.’s more rock moments, which isn’t a bad thing, of course. What’s even more notable about this Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble recording – aside from its decidedly rural origins in Chico, California – is its completely cut-up methodology, which places Three Christs alongside such almost-contemporaries as Throbbing Gristle, Smegma, or Nurse With Wound, yet without the name-brand cachet. (http://www.siltbreeze.com)

Nudge Squidfish, 20,000 Leagues Under Nashville LP (Columbus Discount/Old Age No Age)

Despite the horribly prescient title, as Music City USA recovers from terrible flooding this past May, this “25th anniversary reissue” of solo recordings by V-3/Mike Rep and the Quotas member Nudge Squidfish is oddly satisfying, and a good companion piece to the two mysterious, recent appearances on LP of Vertical Slit’s Slit and Pre-Slit and that V-3 bootleg. Of course, there are plenty of stylistic differences between this release and those of Shepard’s. For instance, “Drinking for Christmas” could surprisingly fit in with C86 bands of the same period, while songs such as “Goodbye Princess” recall Big Star if Chris Bell was high on Whip-Its. “The Stranger” and “Backlot of Gilligan’s Isle” anticipate The Pod-era Ween (that’s a compliment). Elsewhere there’s tearjerkers like “City of Sorrow” and “Wonder Where You Been,” tributes to fellow Ohioans such as “They Call Me Mike Rep,” two otherwise-unrecognizable Shepard covers (“Metal or Meat?” and “Signals & Warnings”), some spoken-word nonsense, and an overall vibe of loner weirdness that probably couldn’t be replicated in any convincing way today, even if anyone had the balls to try. (http://www.columbusdiscountrecords.com)

Various Artists – Æsjo LP (Escho)

These days, it’s very rare for compilations to hold my attention, unless they’re filled with sidelong Afrobeat jams. Knowing absolutely nothing about Æsjo, or the Escho label that released it, my apprehension towards reviewing it was high, until I actually gave it a spin, and my apprehension turned to dread. Presumably filled with Danish artists, the record begins with songs that reside somewhere between lush pastoralism akin to Morr Music releases from a decade ago, and fart noise wackiness a la DAT Politics. Then, abruptly, a fiercely lame rock song (“Kimberly Shyboy” by KloAK – yes the mis-capitalizations are intentional) that sounds like a throwback to the great major label grunge signing sweepstakes of the early 1990s, makes an appearance, and the mood changes from “whimsical but tolerable” to “just plain bad.” A Six Organs of Admittance rip-off and some other jointless messes finish off side A, and the flip doesn’t redeem the session, as the wackiness continues with some sub-Gang Gang Dance nonsense and gets worse from there. Still, the packaging is fairly nice, as it comes with 32-piece “memory game,” ironic in that the comp is not that memorable. (http://www.escho.net)

As always, you should check Still Single for the latest reviews of all sorts of interesting vinyl, written by all sorts of interesting characters.

Omar Khorshid, Guitar El Chark (Sublime Frequencies)

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My review of the new Omar Khorshid 2LP on Sublime Frequencies, Guitar El Chark, ran in yesterday’s edition of LEO Weekly:

This fantastic new collection highlights the mid-1970s work of Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, whose music bridges the gap between the propulsive energy of 1960s American “surf guitar” (itself an invention of the half-Lebanese Dick Dale, known as the “King of the Surf Guitar”) and the engaging melodies of traditional Middle Eastern music. After finding fame in Egypt as a guitarist and actor, Khorshid moved to Lebanon to record for the Voice of the Orient label, from which these songs are licensed. The entire album is chock-full of Khorshid’s gorgeous melodies on guitar and synthesizers, accompanied by hyper-furious percussion. Recalling an idyllic yet cosmopolitan age before the Lebanese Civil War, Khorshid’s music conjures both nostalgia and a limitless future. Released in a gorgeous, double-vinyl gatefold edition with copious liner notes, Sublime Frequencies has once again excelled at re-introducing the obscure beauty of Middle Eastern music to Western audiences.

Buy it from Sublime Frequencies here: http://www.sublimefrequencies.com.

Burning Star Core, Papercuts Theater (No Quarter)

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Today’s LEO Weekly includes my review of the new Burning Star Core record, Papercuts Theater:

Burning Star Core main man C. Spencer Yeh of Cincinnati embodies a mutant combination of musicians Tony Conrad, Yamatsuka Eye and Klaus Schulze with his sophisticated violin, electronics and vocal histrionics filtered through his own distinctly 21st century sense of angst. On this collage of live recordings spanning more than a decade, Yeh is joined by Lexingtonians Robert Beatty and Trevor Tremaine (both of Hair Police) and various other nutters, including a horn section on the wonderfully disturbing third section of its four long sides. Overall, Papercuts Theater is a fiercely chaotic yet multifaceted tour de force constructed out of a myriad of seemingly disparate parts; almost if Yeh took Conrad’s classic 1972 album with Faust, Outside the Dream Syndicate, threw it in a blender, smashed the remaining bits to even-tinier bits, then meticulously glued the pieces back together.

Buy it from No Quarter.

Trans Am, What Day Is It Tonight? (Thrill Jockey)

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LEO Weekly ran my review of the new Trans Am live album today:

Live albums generally serve two main purposes: as documentation of a one-time-only, you-had-to-be-there concert that defines an artist’s career (think James Brown’s 1963 classic Live at the Apollo); or as a survey of greatest hits performed live (with the caveat that said album is a fulfillment of contractual obligations). Regardless, either approach usually disappoints. In the first instance, I end up bummed out because I wasn’t there. In the second, I hope whatever variation of “Greatest Hits Live!” I’m listening to finishes quickly. Unfortunately, Trans Am’s new live album, What Day Is It Tonight?, falls into the second category. While I’ve enjoyed seeing them many times over their nearly two-decade long stint, listening to their pleasant-but-superficial tunes sprawled over 70 minutes (without much noticeable variation from their albums, aside from a superfluous drum solo or three) doesn’t seem necessary.

Buy it from Thrill Jockey.

New Reviews at Still Single, December 14th

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Still more reviews I’ve written for Still Single have been added to the tumblr site. And here they are:

Jen Paul/Jeans Wilder — s/t split LP (La Station Radar)

Jen Paul dials in some heavy reverb guitar, with occasional singing and percussion – that is whenever he/they bother to write a song that lasts longer than 30 seconds. Nothing special, at least nothing that you haven’t heard tried in the past decade or two since Loveless. The Jeans Wilder side is some poorly played, out-of-tune, lower-than-lo-fi grit that even Kurt Vile wouldn’t release as a b-side on some sub-sub-sub-“hip” label. Wait, did I write that? Limited edition of 300. (http://lastationradar.com)

Oneohtrix Point Never — Zones Without People LP (Arbor)

Oneohtrix Point Never is a project by Daniel Lopatin, who seems to be upping the ante in the retro-synth sweepstakes. Zones Without People begins as a pretty fantastic set of deceptively-simple melodic pieces set somewhere between the futurism of early ‘70s Cluster or Tangerine Dream, the pastoralism of Boards of Canada (without the beats), and the looking-backwards-yet-forward sensibilities of current peers such as Emeralds. On the second side, Oneohtrix Point Never shifts further into overdrive, as the melodies are occasionally dispersed with shrill stabs and ominous minor-key rumblings. Whether you’re into music as blatant about its influences is up to you, but personally I can’t get enough of well-done synthesizer music, which Zones Without People most certainly is. Limited to 500, first edition already out of print. (http://www.arborinfinity.com)

James Ferraro — CITRAC 2xLP (Arbor)

Some pretty strange stuff on this mishmash of a double album from James Ferraro, who you may also know as one-half of Skaters. The first album, subtitled Left Behind: Postremo Mundus Techno-Symposium (and previously released elsewhere), is some sort of meditation on the creepy Christian Left Behind series of books and movies, Kirk Cameron, tribal tattoos, homoeroticism, one-world order conspiracy theories, and some other nonsense. Music-wise, the first LP is filled with the sort of warped noisy kling-klang you’d expect (unfortunately beset with some strange moans and groans), oblivious to whatever the underlying concept may be. The second album of the set, subtitled Wired Tribe/Liquid Metal Excerpt I, is musically more straightforward, but less satisfying, as Side C begins with some throbbing industrial noise, quickly giving way to what sounds like bleed-through from someone listening to a 1980s porn soundtrack in another room. As the side progresses the cheese continues, as some very 1980s electro-ish sounds filtered through cheap equipment dominate the proceedings, occasionally interspersed with jarring edits, and then rounded out at the end by some more moaning. Finally, the last side is made up of two recordings Ferraro previously released under his Liquid Metal moniker, and these are also filled with some twisted ‘80s cheese, much like the side before them. Frankly, it’s a bit of a mystery why these pretty disparate projects were lumped together in one release. (http://www.arborinfinity.com)

Eleh/Nana April Jun — Observations & Momentum split LP (Touch)

For the first three, maybe four years of this decade, the Touch label couldn’t really do wrong when it came to releasing some spare-ass music. From the first non-Mego Fennesz releases, to Ryoji Ikeda’s primary forays outside of Japan, to a million other fantastic yet stereotypically dry recordings, Touch seemingly had the finger on the pulse of post-academic, post-minimalist electronic music. However, there are only so many austere-yet-expensive imports of relatively minimalist stuff one can own. Catching back up with the label, this release, one of a series of split LPs, renews faith that Touch, while not really releasing records that are that different from each other, might still be worth investigating. Though the liners namedrop La Monte Young, Pauline Oliveros, and Charlemagne Palestine, what the Eleh side really seems like is homage to an important ‘90s contribution to the minimalist oeuvre, Thomas Koner’s Permafrost. The Nana April Jun side is more of the same bleak winter sounds, but instead of being stuck under ice, you’re stuck on the side of a mountain, enveloped in a blizzard. Either way, it’s hopeless, so just give in. (http://www.touchmusic.org.uk)

Dialing In — The Islamic Bomb LP (Music Fellowship)

There’s something about this release by Dialing In, the solo moniker of one Reita Piecuch of Seattle, which rubs me the wrong way, and it’s not just the semi-offensive title. Basically, the album is a collage consisting of street sounds from a trip Piecuch took to Pakistan, cut up and made into her own brutally tough music. However, the methodology isn’t the problem: it’s the end result, which ultimately isn’t that pleasant to listen to. It’s not unpleasant in the sense that most noise music strives to be (and usually isn’t), but rather it’s unpleasant in that Piecuch’s finished compositions don’t seem to add very much to the found material. Instead of illuminating that material by extrapolating, say, a strange melody out of some anonymous voice, Piecuch instead adds layers of expressive, yet empty sonic murk on top of what otherwise might be pretty interesting field recordings. Jade green vinyl, limited to 500 copies. (http://www.musicfellowship.com)

Big Nurse — American Waste LP (High-Density Headache Records)

It may not be obvious to you lucky people who live on either coast and can walk/run/take public transportation to whatever good record store you happen to live by, but living in a flyover state, much less a red state, can be rough, music-wise. For every gem-in-the-rough such as Big Nurse one might uncover, one still has to endure a fair amount of friends who still want to express how “cutting edge” Vampire Weekend is. Whatever. Anyway, Big Nurse is the real deal. They’re a four-piece, underground rock racket from Nashville, and from what I hear on American Waste, they might probably be the pick of the current lo-fi litter. Seriously, this record smokes in a way that only twentysomethings with no hope of ever being heard can smoke. Humorless record nerds all across the Midwest will want to figure out how they can get a copy, once they figure out years from now that the shambolic retard-rock bordering on Kraut-style bliss in these grooves is pure genius. Did I mention that the ridiculously over-the-top super-long first side is entitled “Runnin’ With the Devil”? Well now I did. Limited edition of 200. (http://highdensityheadache.blogspot.com) (http://www.myspace.com/bignurse)

Meah!/Phantom Family Halo split 7″ (Sophomore Lounge)

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(Both covers of the Meah!/Phantom Family Halo split from the Sophomore Lounge web site, http://sophomoreloungerecords.com.)

Normally when one thinks of happenin’ musical hotspots, I’m pretty sure that Jeffersonville, Indiana doesn’t come to mind. Right across the Second Street Bridge over the Ohio River from Louisville, Jeffersonville has a sort of sleepy reputation, not possessing notable attractions nearby such as the Horseshoe Casino (just west of New Albany, aka Portland North) or even the Theatair X (that’s further north, in Clarksville). Yet Jeffersonville’s Sophomore Lounge Records is worth paying attention to, and not just for the eventuality that J’ville becomes the next music mecca.

Okay, just kidding. SL were nice enough to send their latest release, a split 7″ between Chicago-based Meah! and Louisville’s Phantom Family Halo. Now as a rule, I’m not a huge fan of split singles, as they’re usually not long enough a format for either band to express much. Honestly, I’m not big on split releases of any format in general. But this single gives a good impression of what to expect from either band (even though the PFH side is a cover of the Red Crayola‘s “Hurricane Fighter Plane.”)

That said, the impression I get of Meah!, with their two short songs on the first side of the split, isn’t particularly positive. While the trio definitely has instrumental skills, the first song “Kids/Summer” is probably a bit too wacky for my tastes. Second song “Mystics” brings Meah! into a little bit more acceptable territory, only by being close to a 1980s funk/punk style (think Minutemen or Big Boys, just not quite as good). Overall, though, I have to give them an A for effort, even if I wasn’t super-into it.

Being a huge fan of the Red Crayola, as well as appreciative of Phantom Family Halo, I didn’t know what exactly to expect of their B-side. “Hurricane Fighter Plane,” from the RC’s debut album The Parable of Arable Land, is probably their most iconic song, having been covered by numerous other bands. However, I wasn’t let down by Dom Cipola’s interpretation of a classic. There’s enough reverential space here to classify as a worthy version, plus a changed chord and excellent guitar work (by guest Benny Clark of the Broken Spurs) shows plenty of inventiveness to keep me interested.

Limited to 500. Order it from Sophomore Lounge here: http://sophomoreloungerecords.com/meahpfhsplit.html.

SOME OLD SHIT

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Gonna open up the files, here comes some (mostly) short reviews (most of which have been recently published in the new Bejeezus zine, mainly available in Louisville) that have been languishing in the archives. Enjoy.

Dungen, Ta Det Lungt (Subliminal Sounds) CD

Sweden’s been fertile ground for awesome psych reissues in the past coupla years. And wouldn’t you know it? They’ve got some good heavy slabs of new psych bands out now, too. Dungen‘s this band of Scandi whippersnappers who know how to bring the heavy jamz, with plenty of heaping helpings of melody. If anything, the sweetness might potentially put off some of the heavier psych heads out there. But fuck ’em, this album is great. “Panda” kicks off the show with a tune so catchy I’m tempted to learn some Swedish just so I can sing along. Dungen slows things down a bit by the fourth track, “Du hr for fin for mig” (yeah I have no idea what that means, either), which brings in some sappy strings and mellotron/synth soundz for maximum melodrama moments. Good times, and guaranteed to make the girls swoon.

Buy “Ta Det Lungt” from Subliminal Sounds.

Crain, Speed + 4 (Temporary Residence) CD

Whoa, this is a doozy. The debut album by Louisville’s super-heavy (and super-long-gone) Crain has just been reissued by Temporary Residence, and it’s about time. To say that this reissue was long overdue is an understatement. It’d be difficult for me to overstate the effect that Crain’s music had on my formative teenage years. It would also be impossible to recount the many times I saw them kick total ass live, though I do remember the Speed record release show quite clearly. That night I got my copy of the LP (limited glow-in-the-dark edition!) and, also, my mind blown by the sheer force that was Crain’s lineup at the time. Experience the glory for yourself, re-mastered to finesse.

Buy “Speed” from Temporary Residence.

The Weird Weeds, Hold Me (Edition Manifold) CD

To most people, weird as an adjective is a pejorative. Then again, most people are douchebags. C’mon, it’s not all that misanthropic to say that, oh, 80 percent of the earth’s population ain’t worth a damn. I’m sure most of the time you’ve felt that way too. Anyway, Austin, Texas’s Weird Weeds are weird in a non-pejorative way. That is, they are unique, not ooooh bad I don’t want to deal with this because I can’t/don’t/won’t understand it. Currently a three-piece (tho a four-piece on this CD), the Weird Weeds blend beautifully sung melodies with usually spare guitar lines and minimal drumming as accompaniment (though the first song “Paratrooper Seed” starts with what sounds like a nice synth part). Occasionally the players’ free-improv backgrounds come to the fore in the form of some radical-sounding guitar noodling and drum-thumpery (which adds a nicely-needed tension to the proceedings). All in all, this is emotional music, conveying a beautiful sense of desperation, without being emo blah bullshit.

Buy “Hold Me” from Edition Manifold.

 

Optimo, How to Kill the DJ Part Two (Kill the DJ/Tigersushi) 2CD

JG Wilkes and JD Twitch are the dj duo behind Optimo, the most popular dance club night in Glasgow, Scotland. How to Kill the DJ Part Two is their new mix compilation, and it melds dance floor classics with obscurities, and just plain weird stuff. Eclecticism is the name of the game here, and the listener ultimately is who “wins.” You’ve got your typical 00s party hits like Gang of Four‘s “Damaged Goods” (honestly, I get tired of hearing this one but these guys do mix it in inventively, so they get a pass), Arthur Russell‘s “Is It All Over My Face?” (under the Loose Joint moniker) and Carl Craig‘s “Demented Drums” but then there’s also tracks by the Sun City Girls, Langley Schools Music Project (covering “Good Vibrations” and signifying the change on the decks from Wilkes to Twitch), Suicide and Nurse With Wound to keep things interesting. The bonus disc compiles a good, non-mixed mix that listeners can play with. The now sound is the sound everything but the kitchen sink, people.

Keith Fullerton Whitman/Greg Davis, Yearlong (Carpark) CD

Keith Fullerton Whitman and Greg Davis toured together extensively in 2001 and 2002, and Yearlong is a fascinating document of their live electronic and electro-acoustic improvisations over that year. Though there’s very little music on Yearlong that could be described as “accessible,” there are some very pretty moments, along with some of the harsh sounds typical to a number of laptop improvising schtick. But don’t let the harsh sounds fool you: even at their most aggressive, there is a musicality to Whitman’s and Davis’s approaches, and Yearlong — while not for the average shmoe — definitely rewards patient listening.

Buy Yearlong from Carpark.